Improved bed-bottom



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FRANK G. JOHNSON, OF BROOKLYN, NE\V YORK.

IMPROVED BED-BOTTOM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45.@32, dated January10, 1865.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. JOHNSON, of the city of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedMethod of Gonstructin g Corded Spring-Bottoms for Bedsteads; andIdohereby declare that the following is a full and eXact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

Heretofore cord has been laced into bedsteads generally lengthwise andcrosswise, so that the two sets of cords form right-angle squares, andin such a manner that the cords running crosswise assist in supportingthose that run lengthwise, thus equalizing the action or strain on theseveral lines of cord. Oord, when laced into bedsteads in this way,allows all the slack of cord,both lengthwise and crosswise, to form ahollow from end to end and from side to side of the bedstead, so

that the center of the bed becomes the lowest.

Onthe contrary, if cord be laced into thebedstead or frame onlylengthwise, the sag crosswise is prevented, and lengthwise, too,provided it is sufficiently tightened. By this method, if the cords runparallel to each other, they are liable to spring away from each other1n the middle, and the pressure not being equalized, each two or threeconsecutive cords are liable to be strained, sagged, and broken.Therefore the object and nature oi' my invention consist in applying thecommon cord to a simple rectangular frame in such a manner as to providea desirable sprin g-bottom for beds that shall not be liable to any ofthese objections, which I accomplish by lacing the cord into the framein such a way as to cross the cords over one Yanother and equalize thepressure or strain without running them crosswise of the frame, and bymeans of lacing or tightening rings, to keep the cord always tight andby the same rings, to combine the action or strain of the several cordstogether in such a novel and peculiar manner as to produce a livelyelasticity crosswise of the bedbottom as well as lengthwise, which willbe clearly seen in the following full explanation of its constructionand operation.

Figure l is a view showing the cord laced into the frame A B C D andtightened up with the tightening-rin gs a c a ct, ready for use. Fig. 2is a view to show the position of the cords with the tightening-ringsslipped back to the end pieces, A and B, of the frame. Fig. 3 shows therelation of the first line of cord to the second, and the second to thethird, and the third to the fourth, and so on, in the iirst tier ot'lacing. Fig. 4 shows the relation of the first and second tiers oflacing.

In each ofthe cross-pieces A and B are thirteen eyes or staples, or anyother suitable fastenings, numbered in the order in which the cordpasses through them, and as there is a tightening-ring and a line ofcord to every staple the same consecutive numbers will stand for each ofthese part-s.

By referring to Fig. l it will be seen that the first end of the cord isfastened to staple No. l, passed through ring No.1 and ring No. 2 tostaple No. 2, thence through rings 2 and 3 to staple 3, thence throughrings 3 and 4 to staple 4, and so on, as shown by the black lines in thedrawings, across the frame to staple 8. (See Fig. 3.) This, forconvenience, I call the first tier of lacing.77 It will be seen thatthese sta-ples are passed by each time the cord goes back and forth. Thecord now is passed through the rings and staples in the order of theirnumbers from staple 8 back to staple l--the place of beginningin thesame manner, and constitutes the second tier of lacing. (Shown by thered lines in the drawings, see Fig. 4.) The cord is now passed acrossfrom staple l to staple l5, and thence is passed back and forth throughthe rings and staples in the order of their numbers, same as before, tostaple 20, (shown in the drawings by the blue lines,) and makes thethird tier of lacing. Thence the cord passes through the rings andstaples in the continued order of their numbers back to staple l-theplace of beginning on the third tier of lacing-(shown in the drawings bythe green lines,) and constitutes the fourth tier of lacing. Thus thecord begins at staple l and ends at staple 15.

When the tightening-rings are slipped toward the center to tighten thecords, they cause the cords to somewhat converge toward the center ofthe frame. To prevent converging, the two outside cords, on both sidesof the bedstead-bottom, (shown by the numbers 14,

7, 20, and 26,) are drawn up to the side pieces, O D, of the frame andfastened thereto by the hooks c d. This strain or tension from side toside produces an elasticity crosswise ofthe bottom, which is Verydesirable in spring bedbottoms. This cross tension and elasticity,combined with the tension lengthwise and the elasticity of the corditself, produce an elasticity in every direction from the common center,the same as would be produced by stretching a piece of rubber cloth inall directions from the center. This will be apparent by placing; thelinger on cord No. 4t at J, Fig. 3, when it will be seen that the strainis not cnl y carried lengthwise from staple e to staple 5, but alsocrosswise to cords 3 and 5, and so on to cords 2 and 6 and to. cords land 7. W hat is true of the first tier of lacing` is true ot each oftheother tiers of cords. By means 1 ot the tightening-rings, too, thecrossings of the cords over each other are brought to the cent-ralportion ot the bottom, where the greatest support and elasticity areneeded.

By means of the rin gs s nd the diagonal crossin gs of the cords it willbe impossible to put any action or strain on any single cord Withouthaving the same action or strain applied more or less to every othercord in the bottom, which is very desirable, and which constitutes themost distinctive feature of this invention. It', for instance, apressure be applied to J in Fig. l, it will be communicated to cordsNos.

3, 17, and l0 in the different tiers of lacing, and from each of thesefour cords die gona-Hy beck and forth to every other cord in its owntier of la zing.

It will be seen that the lacing-rings, though simple in themselves,accomplish four distinct and important purposes-riz., first, to tightenthe cords; second, to bring.,r the crossings ofthe cords toward thecenter of the bottom, Where they are the most needed 5 third, tocommuni* cate the strain from one cord toancther side- Wise, and thusequalize the strain on the several cords; fourth, to produce anelasticity crosswise of the bottom.

I do not confine myself to the use of cord only, as Wire might be usedas Well.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The peculiar manner in which the cord is laced into the frame A B C D,so that no two consecutive cords are parallel to each other,substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth,

FRANK G. JO HN SON,

TWitnesses:

E. A. BELL, E. C. MAYu Atti.

